Tuesday, December 11, 2012
John Giannetti, who lost his seat representing Maryland's 21st District in 2006, has applied to fill Annapolis' vacant Council seat for Ward 5.
A former state senator is one of four candidates vying to fill Annapolis' vacant City Council seat for Ward 5. First-term Alderman Mathew Silverman resigned on Nov. 30, citing increased responsibilities at work. Since the 2013 election is less than a year away, his resignation didn't trigger a special election. Instead his political party, the Annapolis Democratic Central Committee, will pick a successor to fill the spot. The candidates are John Giannetti, Tracy McGranaghan, Jared Littmann and Arnold Smith. Giannetti served as the state senator for the 21st District, which covers parts of Anne Arundel and Prince Georges County, from 2002 to 2006 when Sen. James Rosapepe defeated him in the Democratic primary race, according to The …
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Restaurant is first to take advantage of Annapolis' new law allowing rooftop dining in the convenience shopping and community shopping districts.
An Eastport restaurant is hoping to be the first business granted permission to build a rooftop dining deck since the Annapolis City Council passed a law allowing their construction. The Rockfish Restaurant, at 400 Sixth St., is asking the Board of Appeals to grant them a special exception for a deck that would seat up to 54 people. "It was always our hope or aspiration to have roof top dining. Our customers have repeatedly asked ‘are we going to be able to eat outside?’” Rockfish's managing partner Gregory Casten said. Rooftop dining was always part of Rockfish's business plan, said Daniel Ball, a Columbia-based architect who designed Rockfish in 2004. He included an outdoor dining area when he submitted his original designs to the city…
Friday, November 30, 2012
Alderman Mathew Silverman cited new responsibilities associated with his job at the Department of Justice as his reason.
Alderman Mathew Silverman (D-5th Ward) has resigned from office citing new responsibilities associated with his job at the Department of Justice. "My new position will require that I be on-call around-the-clock, ready for deployment at any time," Silverman wrote in a letter of resignation to Mayor Josh Cohen. "I am proud to have worked with such a talented group of individuals as that which makes up the Annapolis City Council." Silverman, 33, stated that these new duties could compromise the amount of time he had to devote to constituents. His resignation will be effective Dec. 2. "Mat's increased responsibilities at the Department of Justice are a testament to his work ethic and dedication," Cohen said in a press release. "I respect his …
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Alderman Ross Arnett says he plans to modify his proposal and introduce a "more carefully crafted" bill in the new year.
An ordinance that would have restricted where Annapolis homeowners could park their cars and boats has been withdrawn due to strong public opposition. "Too many people were confused by it," Alderman Ross Arnett (D-8th Ward) said. "I was also concerned about some of the unintended consequences." Arnett proposed the ordinance in October, which limited the storage of any motorized vehicle "to garages, streets, or city authorized driveways or parking lots within a residential zoning district." The frustration for Eastport residences was that the law would have applied to any area of a person's property—including prohibiting someone from storing a boat in a backyard. "We are the sailing capital; the boating industry is huge in this town," …
As plans are being made for the transformation of Annapolis' waterfront, business owners and residents are divided on how much parking should remain.
Residents and business owners were at odds over how much parking should remain in and around City Dock when it's renovated. The proposed City Dock Master Plan, presented at Monday night's City Council meeting, would transform the Donner and Fleet lots into public spaces and reduce the parking near Susan Campbell Park. In total, about 90 of the 200 spaces found on City Dock would remain. The basic idea is to make downtown Annapolis more "pedestrian friendly," presenter Chris Jakubiak said. "For us business owners, it’s a simple equation: less parking means less customers means less revenues," said Gregory Guzzi, the owner of Guzzi Jewelers. "If you make it more difficult for them to come down and park, they will just go somewhere else." The…
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Eleven schools around Annapolis have been chosen as speed camera locations.
Drivers passing 11 schools in Annapolis will soon see signs alerting them to a "speed zone," which means police may have a speed camera watching them. "Even though there are 11 schools that we will announce to the public, there will only be three with cameras," Annapolis Police Chief Michael Pristoop said. Pristoop plans to announce the 11 locations once the Department of Public Works starts putting up the 64 "speed zone" signs—which he anticipates could be as early as Monday. The signs will indicate where the cameras will start and stop recording drivers. "The idea is that you will never get a speeding ticket if you open your eyes and read a sign," Pristoop said. He's assigned eight police officers to move and calibrate the cameras each …
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
An informational meeting on 20 ballot questions facing Annapolis voters this November will be held at City Hall on Wednesday evening.
The city will host an in-depth look at November's six-page ballot and how each of the 20 ballot questions affect residents on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in City Council chambers. "I looked at my own ballot, and I thought something needs to be done to ensure people understand what all this means," said Alderwoman Shelia Finlayson (D-4th Ward), who organized the event. The two-hour discussion will include input from both Republicans and Democrats from the city, county and state. In November, Anne Arundel County Council approved 15 county charter amendments that residents will have to vote on this November in order for them to be approved. Maryland also has five questions of its own on the ballot about gay marriage, gambling, redistricting, removal…
A proposed amendment to the Annapolis Charter would remove political party affiliation from the ballots.
Voters in Annapolis' 2013 elections could be choosing from an array of candidates rather than political parties if a proposed amendment to the city's charter passes. The seven-member Charter Revision Commission recommended shifting the city's municipal elections to a non-partisan system at Monday night's City Council meeting. "It attracts a wider pool of candidates. Not only party people, but independents and anyone else who wishes to put themselves forward," commissioner Nick Berry said. "It lessens political polarization, and there's evidence it makes city deliberations more congenial." The cities of Rockville, Gaithersburg and Bowie all have non-partisan elections. Candidates would still be able to declare a party affiliation if they …
Winners of Annapolis' 2013 municipal elections could serve an extra year so that the next election syncs up with Maryland's elections.
The Annapolis City Council is considering a charter amendment that would sync city elections with state and federal election cycles. The amendment, proposed by the city's Charter Revision Commission, would extend the terms of Council members elected in 2013 by one year so the next city elections would coincide with the General Assembly's 2018 elections. "The big plus is that it saves the city a lot of money by piggybacking on the state election," commissioner Nick Berry said. "That means that the state will pick up the tab." In 2009, Annapolis spent $112,918 on its municipal elections, according to City Clerk Regina Watkins-Eldridge. Combining the elections could also increase voter turnout, but Berry said that may also inject state and …
The Maritime Republic of Eastport invaded Annapolis on Monday to challenge the city to the annual Tug-O-War.
A group of about 30 rabble-rousers from Eastport invaded City Council chambers on Monday to challenge Mayor Josh Cohen and the City of Annapolis to the annual Tug-O-War. The "Slaughter Across the Water" will take place promptly at the "crack o'noon" on Nov. 3. The parties, which occur on both sides of the Compromise Street bridge, run from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. The Eastport teams will meet on Second Street at Spa Creek, and the Annapolis teams will meet at Susan Campbell Park. “Although the tug is a competition for bragging rights on either side of the bridge, the event provides a great opportunity for the community to come together and have a good time supporting local organizations,” Cohen said. The following organizations are this year’s…
Janet Norman
3:46 pm on Monday, December 17, 2012
FYI, Here's who the Ann.Dem.Central Committee members are, who are deciding who will represent thousands of Ward 5 residents... http://www.annapolisdems.org/about.htm more ›